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senior

Those first days are so horrible and it really does feel like it will never end doesnt it? I had to stop reading posts where they were climbing mount everest in week 2 it made me feel so inadequate. In fact there is so much we have to sensor in the early days and the only things we really want to read is when someone posts exactly how we are feeling. I hope today you are a little more comfortable in a little less pain and a little more like you can see the woods for the trees

graduate

Hey Barbara
I took out my planning folder with all my preop stuff for hip#2 yesterday.Ugh. It put me in a funk. Do I really have to go thru all of( cut and paste all your recent posts here.)AGAIN. Double ugh.
Last night I woke up almost every 20 minutes with leg pain from my one needing done. I take all the nsaids and tylenol I can without tempting an ulcer or
To to cause my liver to scream and still I wake up every. 20. Minutes.
I am so very glad to read all your recent posts and the answers to them. I think in the spirit of kindness and encouragement everyone touts the end result of this surgery that (takes months to a year in its stages) but glosses over recovery, especially early recovery because it's not pleasant.
But the great thing about BS is the support and yeah, the commiserating!
Helps to know all over the place folks understand from experience and wish you well--i think you're doing great and with tincture of time will head to sleep in any position and for more than 20 minutes at a time.
God bless and keep posting!

supremo

Feeling a bit better this morning as I managed--wahoo--a five hour chunk of sleep last night, and on my back! After getting up three times the night before to pee I was happy to wake up at 4:00 AM, realizing it had been five hours since lights out. I went to the bathroom, trundled back to bed, and popped a Tramadol. Sleep after that was pretty light but there is NOTHING like getting a bit of decent sleep to improve my outlook on life! And it's sunny here in the PNW so the upstairs windows are open, sunshine streaming in and lots of bird chatter. We were invited to a Hawaiian Luau at a neighbor's house, with a pig roast (!!) but I'm opting to stay home. I don't think I'd manage to go and be a good guest--thinking even the walk from the car to their backyard would be exhausting! But I told my husband I want him to go and bring me back a to-go plate of yummy food!

A friend brought over some homemade chicken soup yesterday and by younger daughter dropped by after work so I had some distractions which is always nice. I took two naps yesterday but still managed to fall asleep pretty easily. It seems weird to me that I can both nap during the day and yet fall asleep at night without any trouble, until I remember that--as so many of you noted above, this WAS major surgery and my body needs a lot of rest if it's going to heal.

I was able to skim the newspaper this morning with my latte and prunes, so that's a step in the right direction. Frankly, the news can be discouraging to read sometimes so skimming the headlines (along with a few comic strips and the advice column!) isn't a problem. Still not feeling ready to really read anything, although my Kindle is loaded with a few mysteries (my preferred genre these days) so once I'm up for it, I have something available.

Can't shower until tomorrow, but did do a washcloth cleaning and changed into a new pair of flannel PJ bottoms. I even put on some small earrings. I remember @Layla telling me at one point during hip recovery 1 that the small personal rituals can make a difference in one's attitude and return to "normal". I still look pretty haggard but I'm not going out in public, and tomorrow after my highly anticipated shower I am sure I'll even put on a bit of lip gloss and eyeliner. So, another day in recovery begins--tromp, tromp, tromp--and off we go!

supremo

I so agree, @ahipgma--that first week must be pretty overwhelming for most people, there is no getting around it. It's just got to be endured with as much grace and determination as we can manage, but that doesn't make it any easier. And while no one gets happy and excited about the prospect of surgery, you know that once you've had it and have recovered, you're going to be so grateful that modern medicine has this wonderful procedure to allow you to move forward without grinding hip pain.

And, @Fiona444, those folks claiming that they climbed Mt. Everest by week two should be smacked upside the head! It is just a slog, a struggle, but we're all going to get through it. I certainly hope with each passing day things will get a bit easier, but there is simply no denying that the first week sorely tests all of us--and I'm someone who feels as if I had a pretty darn smooth and easy recovery last time! While I am undeniably not comfortable yet, I know that by the end of summer I should be feeling pretty good. I refuse to think otherwise!

@SurreyGirl, I am sure I'm not a model patient all the time as sometimes, well, I just whine "I am sooo tired of feeling sore and miserable". But I admit I don't think I could ever completely cut loose as (1) it is just useless and a foolish demonstration of petulance and (2) I really am appreciative of my husband's efforts. My normal response to feeling frustrated and aggravated about something before hip surgery was to go to the gym and hop on some cardio equipment, visualizing the offending person (usually my children I regret to say) being squashed under my foot as I tromped along. I do love my children but as every mother out there would agree (I think?) they can make you crazy sometimes! But as I can't go to the gym to work out my aggression, I just have to suck it up and behave myself.

SENIOR FORUM ADVISOR

Good Morning
A five hour chunk of sleep is wonderful and often elusive this early on. I slept quite regularily for two chunks of three - four hours with a bathroom break smack in the middle every night. I did this from the beginning. Five hours beats my routine and is amazing in my estimation. I know you've read here a zillion times but our body does it's best healing while we're asleep, so take it when you can get it.

You are wise to skip that Hawaiian Luau. You are right, it would most likely wear you out, you'd be miserable and want to leave. It's best hubs goes and gets a mini break. He'll come back refreshed and hopefully you'll end up with a plate of yummy barbecue to enjoy.

I would encourage you to dig in your bag of tricks and swipe on some lipgloss and eyeliner if you feel up to it after your shower. I did it and it was a mood lifter to go to the bathroom and not look at my pale faced bedhead reflection in the mirror. At this stage of the game, anything that makes us feel a bit better is okay in my book.

Wishing you comfort and a cozy nap or two today!
Focus on one week from now, you'll be feeling so much better@Barbaraj

supremo

Yup, I always liked your advice about assessing progress in one week increments rather than day to day, @Layla. Small actions and improvements can seem very consequential in these early days--yay for good chunks of sleep, yay for successfully dealing with constipation, yay for a shower--can really help. So, tomorrow I will drag out the make-up box underneath my sink and try to tidy up a bit.

graduate

Got on the elliptical in your name today, @Barbaraj! I think you did well to skip the luau! So glad you got 5 hrs. It works wonders.
Also in this phase it makes you realize how much people care, and it's a good feeling! People from our church, and my daughters mom in law brought food, sent cards just made you feel good and strengthened the determination to get out among them again! Hope you have a restful day!

post-grad

Five hours of sleep is amazing! @Barbaraj Love the small rituals too. I started as soon as I could shower. Made me feel human. It is rough those first few days, but you are handling it very well. Hope your husband brings home some yummy food. Wise decision not to take it on yet. PJs were all I wore that first week. Dressing for an event would have been too much. How is your right hip feeling with the demands from the left? Guessing it’s better than the first one?

senior

My second hip was nine weeks ago ... I did some things well, and others not so well

Well
1. Elevate and ice with two sets of silicon filled packets about one hour each time; 4-5 times a day
2. Walked inside a LOT
3. Took a nap whenever it occurred to me I could sleep an hour
4. Got off all narcotics prior to leaving the hospital - had the Oxygen script filled, but never touched them because the Tylenol did so well (everyone is different with pain)
5. Took 4 grams of Tylenol a day ... timing was important, but it worked very well
6. Pain while walking with crutches was minimal by day 7 (but don't get excited)
7. Made myself walk erect, even with crutches ... heel toe ... focus on it, but don't hurt yourself
8. Light supine exercises
9. Other meds - two 81mg aspirin a day, two Celebrex a day

Not So Well
1. Way overdid inside the house because I felt so good
2. Overdid the walking because I wasn't feeling any real discomfort - think over a mile at day 7 ... (DUMB), hurt myself and backslid about 5 days.

supremo

Wow, @ForumUser, impressed by your report! I am doing some of the things you mentioned (like napping and icing) and I hope to be off all opioids as soon as it's practicable. I am mostly fine with the extra strength Tylenol during the day but at night I really need to get some sleep which I can't really get unless I'm drugged a bit. I'm only 3 days out so not walking a whole lot, just the usual regular trips to the bathroom due to all the water I'm guzzling, and a couple of walks during the day down the upstairs hallway. I definitely think I won't be up to walking a mile in couple more days (!) but I am hoping to feel a bit better daily. Keep up your good work--sounds like you're doing splendidly except for overdoing it a bit.

@Fit4Family, right leg is doing great, thankfully. I occasionally drop something on the floor and I've mastered balancing on my right leg, bending my right knee and sticking left leg back slightly so I can grab whatever I've dropped (latest pick up was dental floss). I am no model of grace but very happy that the right hip is recovered sufficiently that it's been a real helper for left hip recovery.

It's early evening and I've done zilch all day, napping again for a few hours. Husband did bring back a full plate of food from the luau but somehow it just didn't appeal. I ate some but left most on the plate. Feeling a bit queasy for some reason, not sure why. That plus fatigue has made for a slow afternoon. But, tomorrow's another day and I'm hoping for some good sleep tonight again (fingers crossed!) so I'll have a bit more energy.

graduate

So strange how the 2 recoveries differ @Barbaraj ! I had no constipation after my second THR unlike after the first but I was also slightly revolted by food. Felt nauseous much of the time and couldn't drink my normal gallon of tea, only peppermint. Especially didn't want milky breakfast cereal, just lots of toast. Absolutely no reason for it, the drugs were exactly the same. I think the answer is not only to avoid comparing recovery with others but not to compare your 2 experiences. But you're doing great!

Understand completely! Before the op I bought a book highly recommend by several friends (Sapiens-a history of humankind) thinking I'd finally have lots of free time to read. Ha ha. It's still on the side table, untouched after 8 weeks! I may get around to reading it sometime.

I remember putting on eyebrow pencil and tinted lipgloss day 2 in hospital. Even with grungy hair it made me feel human again. I agree with @Layla - a little lipstick works miracles on our psyche! See, you're already looking gorgeous in your lovely pj bottoms.

senior

Wow getting things off the floor! That is amazing. I still use my grabber but use the golfers bend for things like loading the dishwasher and picking up and putting down dog bowls. They are on low stands so a bit off the floor. Sounds like everything is going according to plan which is great to read and 5 hours sleep?? Even better! I can only manage a couple at a time but thats ok for now. I hope today is a good one

post-grad

It sounds like you are doing great. I, too, could not read at first. I had several good books ready to read during recovery but I bet it was ten days to two weeks before I could concentrate well enough to read more than a page or two at once. I spend endless hours on my iPad reading and posting in BS, playing Words with Friends and surfing the Internet. In between I’d do the bathroom and kitchen walks. If I napped, it was on the couch. The only time I spent in bed was at night. By the end of the first week, I’d go to my sewing machine for short amounts of time and that was great for a change and a huge help for passing the time. Don’t fight the urge to doze off during the day or to watch endless hours of mindless tv. Your body has been through so much and it just needs a bit of downtime to work on healing. You’ll be up and more mobile in a short time. Sounds like you have a helpful husband so take advantage while you can.

supremo

Thanks, @Elf1, I did get some decent sleep again last night, turning lights out at 11:00 and sleeping until about 3:45 AM, so almost 5 hours. When I woke up, I tottered to the bathroom and back, and popped a Tramadol before settling back into bed. Like the previous night, my sleep after this was pretty light but it does feel good to get in a big chunk. It is like when we had newborns--oh, the first time my babies slept for a 4 hour chunk I'd have celebrated big time if I'd had any energy to do so!

I think you're right, @bickypeg, comparisons are always foolish, even between your own two hips. The key is to just roll with it, and not get foolishly caught up ("oh, last time I was doing X, why can't I do that now?!") I have been lucky though, that constipation hasn't really been a huge problem either time. I've been chomping on prunes at every meal, take a morning dose of Miralax and I'm trying to drink much more water. My husband has been good about keeping the water bottle on my bedside table full of iced water. I feel as if this hip is more painful than last time but admittedly I've forgotten a lot about hip #1. Still, when I go back and read my postings from the first go-around, I wasn't whining about pain all that much. Maybe it was painful but I felt as if I shouldn't be complaining about that. Who knows--it is what it is this time around, and I'm going to get through this!

Glad to know, @Calgal, that my brain isn't the only one that seems to have gotten quite sluggish during recovery. I am an avid reader, although sitting had been so much harder with this second hip that I probably haven't been reading as much as I'd like. I did pick up my Kindle last night (in an effort to tear my eyes away from awful TV) but I only read a page or two before giving up.

Today is shower day--yippee--when my husband returns from his morning workout and, boy, am I excited about that! So, yes, @SurreyGirl, I shall be dipping into my make-up box for a bit of lip gloss, eye liner and maybe some concealer for these awful bags under my eyes. Ooooh, and a spritz of cologne! Nothing like spending an inordinate amount of time in bed and dealing with discomfort to make one's face look bag lady'ish. Hobbling to the toilet daily means I cross by our sink which has a huge, unflattering mirror and I desperately avert my eyes as it's soooo depressing! By the way, can't say I'm craving particular foods really, I am eating but not with joyous enthusiasm, just because I need to eat. This focus on high fiber foods is getting to be a drag. On the other hand, I'm not really craving sweets.

Thanks for the good wishes, @Fiona444 and @GrannyC. If enough people tell me I'm doing well, maybe I'll start to believe the hype!

supremo

Okay, neurotic fear time: just got my first shower today (which was truly heavenly) and because I don’t have a big bandage over my incision I actually looked at it closely before getting dressed. I was horrified to see what appeared to be tiny little blisters around the incision. I may have had these last time but didn’t notice them, but this is freaking me out a tad. Did anyone else have blisters around their incision? Assume maybe it’s a reaction to the glue or something, and quite possible (hoping actually) that I shouldn't be concerned as they will go away soon. But thought I would ask.